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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22747837">The Possibilities Are Endless (DISCONTINUED)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(Darmas stuff is one-sided), (cuz he's a player), AU, Angst, Cyborg!Reader, Eventual Friendship, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Hacker!Reader, Nar Shaddaa (Star Wars), Slow Burn, Smuggler Storyline Spoilers, Tags May Change, Theron is 24-ish, You are 19, and they are kinda uncommon, and you are a cyborg, before forged alliances and shadow of revan, but that's it, cyborgs aren't treated nicely, perhaps smut, probably no other spoilers for the game, spoiler free, that stuff doesn't happen here, you is very smort, young theron, young-er</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 09:49:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,591</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22747837</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As an isolated hacker, you were bound to create enemies, especially since you stole information from the strongest people in the galaxy. However, you were not ready to actually be found by one of them. Nor did you expect him to be so... attractive. It was surprising -- for both of you, really -- when Theron Shan, top SIS agent, son to Jedi Master Satele Shan, and war hero Jace Malcolm, asked you, an incredibly young and talented programmer, to work for him. Outside of Republic laws and guidelines. To be completely honest, you only agreed because you thought it would be a nice change of pace. Especially since Theron didn't seem to mind your enhancements. In fact, he had a few himself. Who knows where this strange companionship will go. Will it lead to disaster? Something more, perhaps? The Possibilities Are Endless, after all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Darmas Pollaran/Reader, Theron Shan/Original Female Character(s), Theron Shan/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Making a Living</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hallo! The name’s kate and I’m here with a Theron Shan/Reader fic. This will definitely be continuous and I am going to try to have somewhat of a schedule, but I know that won’t always work out. This is not my first fanfic, but it is my first posted here. I have other accounts on other sites, and you can ask for them if you want. I apologize for any grammar/spelling mistakes or if it seems short. Am very tired as I was writing this and this is kinda just an intro into you and Theron.</p><p>Before you begin reading I just want to thank you for stopping by, and I want to tell you that I do not own Old Republic nor Star Wars, all rights go to BioWare, EA, and LucasFilm, I do own the plot and any OCs used, you own you. Also! This is a slight au where cyborgs are kinda uncommon and treated differently than normal humans, almost like how the Imperials treat aliens, except it’s from mostly everyone, and this takes place before Forged Alliances/Shadow of Revan, Theron is a little younger (around 24, he is around 30 in the game) but is still the strong and soft boi we all know and love. Thank you again for reading! Comment and I will be glad to respond. Hope you enjoy!</p><p>- kate</p><p>(here's my tumblr! https://mycat-is-mylove.tumblr.com/ this story is over there too. Talk to me if ya want, or don't... that' fine too lmao)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nar Shaddaa. The sleaziest, grimiest moon in the whole galaxy. Home to numerous crime syndicates, drug lords, and even the occasional cult. This city moon orbited Hutta, homeworld of the infamous Hutt Cartel. The crime-ridden districts on this moon were not unknown to the galaxy’s strongest governments. In fact, both had a huge network there. The Imperials with their Intelligence Agency and the Republic with their SIS. Both trying to get dirt on the other so they could get the upper hand in this unrelenting war.<br/>
The ‘pubs stationed many SIS agents in small alcoves all around Nar Shaddaa, wanting to know more about the Hutts and the Imps.  They sent some of their best agents there to scout out the territory and make sure the Republic was protected from even the smallest of threats. Whether it be drug lords, the Imps themselves, or a lone information broker.</p><p>The latter being more significant to a certain agent.</p><p>An information broker. That’s who the SIS tasked one of their best agents with finding. One silly little person with enough basic knowledge to be able to get Republic secrets and sell them. At least, that’s all Theron Shan thought they were.</p><p>And that’s all she wanted them to think.</p><p>That “silly little person” was, in reality, an extremely capable and intelligent programmer who had the ability to get into almost any database, steal semi-important information and sell it to the highest bidder. In fact, that person was only 19 years old.</p><p>No one actually knew her name. She went by different nicknames that the people she stole from gave her. For example, the Republic called her ‘little mouse’ because of how fast she got in and out of their computers. The Imperials called her ‘pest’ merely because that’s all she was to them, although they would never admit how much damage she could have caused them. And then the Hutts called her ‘rodent’, yet again another derivative of the other nicknames she picked up. The fact of the matter was that she didn’t want the ‘pubs knowing she stole from the Imps, or the Hutts knowing she stole from the ‘pubs, or any variation. Frankly, she didn’t want anyone knowing who she truly was. If someone did they would either imprison her, use her skills, or just kill her. So, she remained hidden. In plain sight, to be quite honest. Though, Shan did not need to know that.</p><p>Tucked away between the Spice and the Holo-trees was a small SIS office with only seven or so agents and 5 guards posted around. Theron Shan did enjoy being an SIS agent, though his one complaint was always the number of people in each of his stations. They always annoyed the shit out of him and he worked way better alone. Though he knew he had to suck it up, it was his job after all. </p><p>Mumbling under his breath about the people and his assignment, Theron typed wildly on his padd, this information broker was a lot harder to find than he anticipated. And it was starting to get to him. Theron had hoped that this assignment was going to be quick. And much to the agent’s frustration, he had been in that office for almost six weeks trying to locate the little mouse as his colleagues liked to call them. Honestly, Theron didn’t like the name at first, but after having been attempting to find them for two weeks, it was beginning to grow on him since that was the only thing he could call them in his reports. </p><p>Theron heaved a heavy sigh and ran a gloved hand through his brown hair, spiking it even more. He leaned back in his chair and let out a silent scream to the galaxy saying how angry he was at this little mouse. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as silent as he had hoped and one of the other agents brought a chair over to Theron’s station.</p><p>“Still no luck, Shan?”</p><p>Said agent looked lazily at Jonas Balkar sitting beside him. Dark bags hung under Theron’s eyes due to lack of sleep and eating. “What does it look like to you, Balkar?” Theron sat up again and pulled up everything he had on the broker, which wasn’t much. “I’ve spent six weeks digging into every single lead out there on this damn mouse, plus everything the SIS already had on ‘em and I haven’t gotten even an inch closer!” Jonas sat back in his chair, a smirk hanging on his lips as he got ready to hear Shan’s pent up frustration explode out of him. “Six damn weeks, Balkar! And I’ve got nothing to show for it! Nothing!” He threw his hands haphazardly about him to show just how angry he was. “No one has been able to track them down. There hasn’t even been a single piece of info that tells me what gender they are. I don’t even know if they’re on Nar Shaddaa. They could be anywhere in the galaxy, laughing at my pathetic attempts at finding them, hacking into our databases, stealing our info…”</p><p>Theron’s voice died down to silence as a brilliant idea clicked in his mind. He practically threw himself at the computers and began typing again. Jonas stayed there as he worked, curious to see if Shan would actually be able to find the little mouse. He never told Theron, but he had been the one to pick out that nickname. It seemed fitting.<br/>
A quiet ‘ding’ resounded from the padd. “I got it,” Shan whispered. “I actually got it.” He stood up and transferred the location to his implants. “Balkar, I’m going alone. I’m going to the one to catch this little mouse once and for all.</p><p>Meanwhile in another part of the bustling city moon of Nar Shaddaa was yet another person typing frantically on a padd. Though this one was younger than the other, and she was not an SIS agent, that was for certain. </p><p>Black-painted nails danced over the many screens that littered your desk, your eyes scanning over every word that flashed on the screen, your enhancements and photographic memory made it very easy to keep track of what you were seeing and process it without having to stop and write it down. That was one of the main reasons you became a programmer in the first place. You had a rough childhood which made it necessary for you to get cybernetics for your eyes -- though you could barely tell, they were just a little metal dots right in the center of your iris to help you see-- while the ones on the side of your head were just to enhance your cognitive abilities. Cybernetics were beginning to become more common, but cyborgs with the implants you had were still rare and seen as different which had caused you to be the center of attention at many inconvenient moments. That had led you to become isolated. But one still needed money to survive, and you couldn’t stay alone and make money. Unless your profession was slightly illegal.<br/>
When you were younger you had an interest in computing so when you got older and more isolated you thought, why not make it into a living? At first, you made contracts with a few people, you followed the rules, but then you realized that wasn’t going to cut it. Living prices on Coruscant kept on increasing and the small jobs you were getting just weren’t enough to give you the life you wanted. So you moved to Nar Shaddaa. Everything was legal in Nar Shaddaa. That was when you decided to make the prices yourself. Get the jobs you wanted. And you had gotten the life you wanted as well. Away from people and more than enough money to last you a lifetime. </p><p>In fact, you could have retired last year, and yet here you were, still hacking into places you weren’t allowed into. Stealing info you weren’t allowed to see. Selling it to whoever gave you the highest price. And this one was going to be good.</p><p>Some Republic agent had left his account open, and the little mouse snuck right in. You chuckled to yourself. This was going to bring in a ton of credits. Whoever this guy was had a load of ‘pub secrets that would fetch a hefty price to the right people. In all honesty… it seemed too good of a catch. Something was off, but once you got started, you couldn’t stop. </p><p>The little mouse scurried past the obvious traps, not falling for the little pieces of crackers left to entice her.<br/>
She tiptoed across the broken floorboards, not getting a single toe stuck in the cracks.<br/>
Her nose picked up on a delightful scent. She was close.<br/>
She almost broke out into a sprint but caught herself. She had to be wary.<br/>
Right in front of her was the biggest hunk of cheese she had ever seen. And it was hers.<br/>
She cautiously walked closer and closer to it. This was it. This was going to be the day she got the main prize.<br/>
A single, small finger reached towards it, she just had to feel it, make sure it was real.<br/>
And then she fell right into his trap.</p><p>Your cybernetic eyes widened in disbelief as you saw a little tracker beacon pop up on the side of your main screen. This couldn’t be happening.  No, no, no nononono. No.<br/>
You frantically began closing all of your screens, you even turned off your entire computer. But it was too late. You knew that. That kriffing agent knew that too. </p><p>“Shit, shit, shit,” You muttered as you hastily grabbed some essentials and shoved them into a bag. You had to leave. And fast. The agent was probably already in your building. How did this happen? How were you so reckless? You had gotten away so many times that you figured you were safe. You didn’t stop to think that someone might actually be able to outsmart you, outplay you. It was infuriating, to say the least. Humiliating even. </p><p>You dropped your bag as your computer burst into life, all your personal information getting downloaded into… something. You went over to it and tried to shut it down, to no avail. You then tried to trace who was downloading it and found that whoever it was… was right outside your door.</p><p>You reached under your desk and pulled out the blaster you had hidden there. You hugged it close to your chest and hid behind the door that led to your bedroom. You kept your breathing steady and quiet as the door to your loft opened. Footsteps echoed through your small house. Eyes closed, but ears alert, you waited for the agent to do something. Find you, leave, take your stuff, anything other than this waiting game you were both playing.</p><p>Then he spoke. You hadn’t heard another person’s voice without the background noise of a holorecording in a long time. It was strange, and yet… comforting almost. “I know you’re here. If you come out with no weapons, perhaps we can settle this without any violence. Deal?” His voice was rough, low, with a tiredness in it that reminded you of your father’s. </p><p>You took a deep breath and set the blaster down. He was right. Even if you didn’t like it, you knew deep down that this day was bound to come sooner or later. You had to face your fears. At least it wasn’t an Imperial Agent, or even worse, a bounty hunter. You knew the ‘pubs were a little more forgiving. They didn’t kill their targets on spot like the others did. Attempting to calm your racing heart you took a few more deep breaths and stepped out from your hiding place.</p><p>In front of you was a tall man in his early to mid-twenties wearing a red jacket, a blaster in his hands, though he lowered it once he saw you were unarmed. He had light brown hair spiked up in the front. The first thing you noticed was how he was actually quite attractive. The second… were his implants. He was like you… </p><p>The agent looked you up down the same as you did, eyeing the small cybernetics in your eyes and on your temples. You were like him… </p><p>He smirked. “I see now why they call you ‘little mouse’.”</p><p>This was bound to be interesting.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Greetings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the long wait, my friends! This social distancing stuff is crazy, right? My school has been closed for who knows how long, and even though I have been at home... Well, I still have school work and, uh, I just have lacked the motivation to write lmao. Thanks for sticking with me, comments, kudos, and questions are more than welcome! I hope you enjoy! (Part three is in the works as we speak!)</p><p>~kate</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cyborgs were fairly new in the galaxy. This caused their reputation to be slightly tarnished, change was frightening to people after all. No one exactly knew what to do with them. They were merely augmented versions of their respective race, something slightly more than normal. Cybernetics was a huge question in science and engineering, many doctors wishing to get it right. However, it was still not a proven medicinal technique. So when people did have certain enhancements, they were pushed to the bottom of the social hierarchy merely because they were different and possibly dangerous. Who knew what could happen to them due to those cybernetics. Many people went to illegal doctors to have procedures done usually to fix an affliction that regular medicine couldn’t treat. Most did not make it through the fitting of the parts, some made it through that but couldn’t adjust to their implants which either killed them or made them kill themselves. Only a few select individuals actually survived the entire ordeal. Even then, they were subject to criticism, persecution, and violence. Regular people just didn’t understand it. At least, not yet. Maybe once cybernetics was perfected and more people trusted it, then cyborgs would have a chance at a normal life. </p><p>But that time wasn’t coming any time soon, as far as you were concerned. And you had some more pressing matters to address. Such as the other cyborg who somehow managed to find you. You looked at your computers and noticed that he had shut them all off, probably thinking that was enough to cage you in. You could definitely leave if you wanted to. But, curiosity got the better of you. You had kept yourself hidden for almost three years now, you wanted to know how one man was able to track you down.</p><p>You eyed the republic issue blaster as he carefully set it back in its case on his thigh. Even though you wanted to hear him out, you knew to still be cautious.  “You,” You cleared your throat. Kriff, you hadn’t spoken to another person in a long time. “You said you wanted to make a deal? Well? Spit it out, ‘pub.”</p><p>The agent laughed slightly at your words, though you could tell that he wasn't in the mood for jokes if the dark bags under his eyes told you anything. He must have stayed up for weeks trying to find you. That thought caused little butterflies to swarm in your belly. Someone had spent a good portion of their life trying to find you. It was… flattering almost. Save for the fact that he had actually found you. You knew that you had caused some trouble with the Republic, but you never thought that they would direct enough resources to one agent so he could track you down. You mentally slapped yourself. You had to be more careful. </p><p>And there was yet another flaw of yours. You truly thought that you would be able to get back to your normal life after this. You were just that arrogant.<br/>"Straight to the point, huh? Not gonna even ask for my name?" The agent's tone wasn't exactly condescending. Just… tired.</p><p>You bit the inside of your lip, your cybernetic eyes dilating, tracking every movement the agent made. "I suppose I should… though it wouldn't make any difference. After tonight we'll never see each other."</p><p>He raised an eyebrow. "And what makes you say that? I found you once, I can find you again. And besides," He gestured to the room around the two of you. "Do you truly want to live here for the rest of your life? No human contact. No truthful way of making money?"</p><p>You stopped him there, his words cutting deep. "Hey. I don't see the SIS doing much truthful work either. I'm just making a living," You smirked, he thought he had cut off all your computers, but he didn't know that you had implants. You traced his identity with a bit of difficulty before you found his name. "Theron Shan."</p><p>Your smirk grew then fell as his eyes widened before he got a grin of his own. "Y'know. The Republic has been working on cybernetics-"</p><p>You scoffed. "You think I didn't know that?"</p><p>He held up a hand. "Let me finish, will you?" </p><p>You sighed and crossed your arms.</p><p>"You may know that, but you probably don't know that since they've been doing this, cyborgs are more accepted. At least, in the Republic. I can't say much for the Empire… How else do you think I was able to join the SIS?"</p><p>"Perhaps because your mother is a Jedi Master?"</p><p>Theron sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, kid, I'm two seconds away from calling the 'pubs to come in and arrest you. But, I know that you're good at your job. Else I wouldn't have been tasked to find you. So. Why don't you work for me, we can catch some bad guys, you won't be in a cell for the rest of your life, you'll get food, shelter, some good ol' human contact, and perhaps a little extra money to do with what you will. I can offer protection from the people you help me take down and you'll have a good amount of autonomy. Sounds like a better deal for you than it does for me."</p><p>You squinted your eyes, not entirely buying into what Theron was saying. It seemed too good to be true. “Even if you aren’t lying about that -- and I have no proof if you are or not -- working for the ‘pubs is boring. All your stupid laws.”</p><p>“Didn’t you just say that the SIS isn’t exactly truthful? We get done what the politicians and military don’t want citizens to know about.” The agent shifted his weight to his other foot, trying to come up with different ways to win you over. You would be a great asset to the SIS. “And besides,” Theron started, finally coming up with something. “You wouldn’t technically be working for the Republic or even the SIS… You would just be helping me when I ask.”</p><p>You turned it over in your head, your implants helping you go through all the different scenarios that could possibly arise. They were also monitoring the agent’s vitals to check if he was lying, but they all came up negative. That didn’t discard the fact that he might be able to conceal if he was being truthful or not. </p><p>This strange agent knew you were incredible at your job, and that could be useful to his government. And, as much as you hated to admit it, he was right about the fact that you couldn’t hide forever. He, or someone even worse, was bound to catch up to you sooner or later. And you doubted someone else would be as nice as Theron Shan. </p><p>You sighed heavily. Perhaps it was time to actually have something to work for. Not just your own selfish desires. As corrupt a government such as the Republic, you knew that the Empire, or even the Hutt Cartel, were even worse. And they would probably kill you, or imprison you for all the trouble and mayhem you caused them.</p><p>And, how bad could it really be? Working with a handsome and intelligent spy, who also was a cyborg, might even be… fun. </p><p>You look up at Theron, your eyes narrowing in on him as they checked his body language and biofeedback. Everything seemed normal about him. Well, as normal an enhanced SIS officer could be.  </p><p>Finally, you spoke. "... Fine."</p><p>The agent's eyes widened. "Wait. Really?"</p><p>You rolled your eyes. "Don't make me regret this."</p><p>"Don't worry, kid, we'll have loads of fun together." He smirked and you yelled at yourself for blushing. Now was not the time to be admiring this extremely handsome man. The agent must have noticed your reaction which led to his ears burning a bright red. Looks like the two of you have something to hang over each other. He cleared his throat before continuing, “Um, get your stuff together and we’ll head out. We have a stop to make before we leave this godforsaken planet.”</p><p>You were already moving when he said to get your stuff, but you stopped, ears perked when you heard him say that you were leaving. “Hold up. Leave?” Sure, your apartment was crap, and sure, you had thought about going somewhere else. But so abruptly? And with a man you just met? You weren’t entirely positive if you liked this deal anymore. </p><p>Theron must have noticed your hesitance and thought up some ways to clear your head of any doubts. “Hey, kid, if you want this plan to work, you’re gonna have to listen to me. We can’t stay here very long else the higher-ups might start questioning things. Until we get your job situated, we can’t risk you getting caught; by the Imps, the Hutts, or even other SIS.” </p><p>You bit the inside of your lip, a nervous habit that never seemed to go away, and mulled over what the agent said. You supposed it made sense. Perhaps you were just scared. Though you’d never admit it out loud, you were frightened about what was outside your walls. Living three years in isolation apparently had more effects on your mental wellbeing than you had originally thought.</p><p>Eyeing the man before you once again, you decided it was safest to follow him. He was right about one thing, if he managed to find you, someone else was sure to be close behind. Ugh, why did he have to be so logical? It wasn’t fair. You wanted to argue with him more, say you were better off working from home… but you knew he was right. You sighed and resumed packing your stuff. You grabbed your computer -- thank gods you upgraded it so it wasn’t as absurdly huge as when you first bought it -- along some other datapads and packed them safely into a small suitcase. You then went to your room and shoved a few changes of clothes and other essentials into a small bag. You took one forlorn look around your room. This was it. You probably were never going to return to this place. Never sleep in that bed. Never sit at that table. This truly was an entirely new chapter for you. </p><p>All you had to do now was flip the page and start reading.</p><p>You exited your room and took in a deep breath. There was no use in dwelling on that. Change was bound to happen, you knew that. But you also knew that change was hard to accept. You learned that the hard way. </p><p>Theron was typing away at a datapad by the time you made it out of your room. He looked up when you walked up to him and flashed you a fleeting smile before putting the pad away. “Ready to fly?”</p><p>You solemnly glanced back at your home one last time before nodding your head and locking the door firmly behind you. It was extremely well hidden from the naked eye and your locking skills were second to none, so you weren’t worried about anyone breaking in. And even if they did, you had nothing materially valuable in there, it was all in your little suitcase. </p><p>“Ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.”</p><p>The agent nodded stiffly and began marching towards whatever ‘stop’ he had to make, you following closely behind. Damn his stupidly long legs.</p><p> </p><p>After a bit of walking in complete silence, Theron finally worked up the strength to ask you a few questions. “So, how long have you lived in that place?”</p><p>You pursed your lips. “And the interrogation begins.” You said sarcastically.</p><p>He shot you a look. “I’m just trying to learn a bit more about you. If we’re going to be working together, we should know a few things about each other.”</p><p>“Quite the deal maker, aren’t ya.” Theron didn’t respond to that. You sighed heavily. This guy always had to be right, didn’t he? “I’ve lived there for almost three years. But I’ve lived relatively alone for about five.” You didn’t have to look back at the agent to know that he was giving you a pitying look. “It was my choice, okay? People don’t like cyborgs, especially ones as young as me…” You trailed off, not wanting to continue.</p><p>“You said that you knew that the Republic was working on cybernetics, yet it still doesn’t seem like you know that we aren’t as oppressed as we were.” Theron stopped talking as you moved closer to him, basically hiding behind him as a group of thugs walked on the other side of the street from you. He noticed you shaking and shot the group a quick glare, causing them to scurry off and you to breathe a heavy sigh of relief. </p><p>You slowly moved away from the agent, people still made you nervous. But for some reason… Theron didn’t. You glanced down at your shoes and muttered a quiet thanks to him which he returned with a short and stiff nod. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed him furrow his brows in confusion. You chuckled softly and the two of you continued on your way.</p><p>You stopped in front of a hidden door, much like your own, and watched as Theron punched in a code at the side of the door. It opened with a ‘woosh’ and the two of you stepped inside. </p><p>There were computers everywhere, a few tables with chairs, and only two other people. One with dark hair sauntered up to you. He gave Theron a quick pat on the back before giving you a strange look.</p><p>“And who might this little one be?” You glared at him which he returned with a smile and looked at your companion again. “You’re not adopting, are ya?”</p><p>Theron rolled his eyes. “No, Jonas, I’m not adopting her. She’s…” He glanced at you. “My partner.”</p><p>The newly named Jonas raised an eyebrow and at the same as he continued talking, you began to find everything you could about him. Jonas Balkar, SIS agent, male, human, no augmentations. Just a plain old agent.</p><p>“What kind of ‘partner’ are we talkin’ here?”</p><p>You squinted your eyes at Balkar before answering for the agent. “An insanely good work partner, Mr. Balkar.”</p><p>His eyes widened a bit before narrowing in on your implants. “Huh, I like her,” He gave you another look, then deadpanned to Theron. “You seriously took Little Mouse under your wing? You better get her some papers, pal, or she’s gonna be in jail faster than you can say ‘kriff’.”</p><p>Theron understood what Jonas was trying to say and gathered his belongings. You continued to take in your surroundings all the while ignoring the agent in front of you. You didn’t like him very much.</p><p>Before anything else could happen, you and your companion went on your merry way to the spaceport, probably the last place on Nar Shaddaa you’d ever see.</p><p>	And you flipped to the next page.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. More Pages and More Mistakes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>here's some angst everyone (spoilers for Smuggler storyline)</p><p>{My tumblr: mycat-is-mylove}</p>
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    <p>Coruscant, heart of the galaxy… Was not what you expected.</p><p>	You had seen pictures, but somehow being there in person made it different. Buildings with bright lights and colors towered above you as the ship flew over the planet. You wondered what it looked like before these buildings were put up. Was it a beautiful, lush planet like Naboo? Or was it a desert wasteland like Tatooine? Was there even a surface anymore? You knew that there were the lower levels, but beyond that, you weren't sure if anyone knew.Brushing away those questions, you caught Theron staring intently at a datapad, his fingers typing furiously. </p><p>	You wondered if he liked his job. He did say that the Republic was worth fighting for, but did he actually like doing that. There was a fine line between loyalty and joy. But, you supposed you didn’t know what that line was either. He was beyond loyal, and you were just doing it for fun. Perhaps the two of you together could figure it out. </p><p>	The shuttle landed, its wings folding up beside it as the doors opened, revealing an elaborate space station. You nudged Theron, tearing him away from his work and into reality. “We’re here.”</p><p>	Theron nodded, “C’mon, kid, time to get to work.”</p><p>	You rolled your eyes at his little nickname he picked for you, but otherwise said nothing as the pair walked out of the shuttle. Your feet slowly getting used to solid ground after being in that shuttle for a couple hours. You followed the agent to some terminals that all the other shuttle participants were at. Your eyes scanned everyone that walked in the hangar bay, you still weren’t sure about people, but they all seemed fine. In fact, they barely even noticed your implants, or Theron’s, they just minded their own business. Perhaps Theron was right… Things were changing. </p><p>The agent took out the datapad he was working on and swiped it into the terminal. You saw as his eyes narrowed, brow furrowed and you realized what the datapad was, it was your citizenship papers, ones that you didn’t have, until Theron just forged them. You shot him a side glance, you were certain of one thing, SIS wasn’t what you imagined. They were much more inclined to break the rules than you originally thought. And it was a nice breath of fresh air to know that you wouldn’t be hiding under rules and regulations when you knew you could be doing something. </p><p>The papers passed inspection and Theron swiped his as well, those obviously passing since he actually was a citizen of the Republic. He gestured for you to follow him, which you did, and you passed a few more people, your implants going unnoticed to civilians, but definitely not to you. You used them on everything and everyone you passed, your paranoia still getting to you. </p><p>As you exited the spaceport, Theron hailed a taxi and you were off, speeding above thousands of other cars and buildings hundreds of miles below. Coruscant wasn’t all too different from Nar Shaddaa. Sure, there were actual laws in place and a form of government, but the towering buildings and bright lights told a different story, one very similar to a certain crime moon.  And there would be other aspects to this heart of the galaxy that would confirm your suspicions.</p><p>The taxi docked quite a ways away from the spaceport, and into the underbelly, the place you knew as home. You followed Theron into a building, it actually had real trees in the middle, spanning the entire hallway, that was one thing Nar Shaddaa did not have, and you were awestruck. You ran over to the trees and climbed onto their platform, feeling the bark under your skin, smelling the leaves, hearing its story. You knew that these were probably treated with tons of chemicals, but you hadn’t seen a real tree in years, so you took what you could get. </p><p>“Theron!” You called his name, waving him over. “Look! Trees!” Your excited tone and body language made it hard for the agent not to smile. </p><p>He nodded his head, “Yep, those sure are trees.” </p><p>You pursed your lips at his sarcastic comment, but jumped down from the platform anyway. “Hey, if you hadn’t seen a real tree in… about six years, you would do the same thing.”</p><p>Theron merely shrugged his shoulders and kept on walking. You sighed, you never thought about how you would miss social interaction, or even trees. It was hard, trying to come to terms with the fact that you had missed a lot hiding away on that crime moon. You glanced at Theron, his stride confident, his entire demeanor was courageous, a trait you didn’t have. He believed that you would be accepted into normal society… and right then was when you decided to trust him.</p><p>A small smile made its way to your face as you caught up to the tall agent, walking beside him. He turned into a doorway, you looked at the sign above it which said “Dealer’s Den” in bright green letters.  You followed him in, your eyes quickly scanning everyone in the room. There were scoundrels, bounty hunters, the occasional soldier out for a break, all in all it was your normal cantina. Theron walked briskly past the patrons, not sparing them a second glance, he had a job to do and he would be damned if he didn’t do it. </p><p>He needed to loosen up a bit, in your opinion. Humans were naturally social creatures -- except for when you purposefully hide yourself away, though even then you craved human interaction. And Theron seemed to not believe that, perhaps you would teach him. As if you knew anything about loosening up. You chuckled to yourself as you made your way into a side room. This one was quieter than the main bar, with only a few couches, a sabacc table, and one man lounging before you. </p><p>The man didn’t sit up when you walked in, only gave the agent a quick side-eye before turning his attention to you. “My my, what do we have here?” You narrowed your eyes at his sleazy attitude. “A flower like you, madam, should be keeping better company.”</p><p>Theron rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Yeah, like you’re good company, Darmas.”</p><p>The newly named Darmas ignored the agent, making you slightly annoyed. “Darmas Pollaran, at your service.”</p><p>You said nothing, your eyes scanning his body temperature and other biomechanics he displayed. He seemed calm, almost too calm. You made sure to keep his face in your data banks so you could look into him a bit more, something about this “Darmas Pollaran” didn’t sit right with you.</p><p>Theron stepped in front of you, almost in a protective manner, you felt your ears burn. “Look, we can stand here all day or you can give me what I asked for.” The agent’s tone was hard, unmoving, he wasn’t there for games, he needed to get something done. </p><p>Darmas smiled. “Ah yes, the spy in shining armor always to the rescue,” You couldn’t see his face, but you could tell that Theron was shooting daggers at the man. He put his hands up in mock surrender. “Fine, fine, I have what you want.” Theron took a small datapad from the gambler and tucked it safely into his back pocket.</p><p>“I’ll have the credits transferred, pleasure doing business.” </p><p>Theron turned and briskly walked out of the cantina, you following closely behind. That was a strange encounter to say the least, and you knew that once you had some quiet time you would look into the strange man. In fact, you could have sworn you knew that name from somewhere. </p><p>You shook your head and continued on your way until you both were in yet another taxi, heading so another unknown place. You hated that. Hated not knowing, you always knew, so when the strings were taken from your hands, you fumed silently. This would have to change if you and the agent were ever going to work together. But for now, you would allow it, you would trust Theron, well, trust him as much as you could. </p><p> </p><p>It had been a few hours since the debacle with Darmas and Theron had left you alone in a small and quaint apartment on the outskirts of the Galactic Market. It was nice, nicer than your place on Nar Shaddaa, but not too nice as to draw attention to you. You liked it, you had your own room, right next to Theron’s, there was a small living space and a kitchen next to it. All in all, it was perfect to live in and be able to do whatever work was necessary. In fact, you had already started.</p><p>Theron said that he had some business to take care of and that you were to stay in the apartment at all times, unless he was there to escort you. You thought it was a little overkill, but you had some research to do anyway, so there was no need to leave. Or so you thought.</p><p>You took your computer out and set it up in your room, its many screens taking over an entire wall. You brought a desk over and sat down, getting to work. Darmas Pollaran. There was more to this gambler than just sabacc and flirtation. And you would find out what that was sooner or later.</p><p>Your fingers danced across the keyboard, images and texts popped up all around you, every time you found something useful, you moved it to one screen, saving it for closer examination. After two hours or so, with no breaks, you finally found something. There were many outgoing transmissions that were encrypted quite heavily coming from Darmas’ room. You zeroed in on the encryption, there wasn’t even a need to crack it, you would know that code anywhere. Imperial Intelligence.</p><p>With narrowed eyes, you dug around a bit more just to gather more evidence that corroborated your theory. And it all led to the same conclusion. Darmas Pollaran was an Imperial Agent. You sat back in your chair, triumphant. Well look at that. You had caught your first bad guy. Now you had to physically catch him.</p><p>You checked the time, 2300 standard time, it was late, later than you thought, and your agent still hadn’t come back. You bit the inside of your lip and scanned your com only to find it empty. You knew that Theron was busy, but it had been a long time and he hadn’t said anything. You leaned over your desk, implants going over every possibility. Either he was hurt or he really was just busy. That still led to the same conclusion, you couldn’t call Theron so he could catch Darmas, you could wait… or catch him yourself. Occam’s razor stated that the simplest answer was the right one, and the simplest answer for your predicament was to wait. And yet you didn’t believe that answer. If Darmas was an agent, then he probably knew that someone was digging up files on him, and that meant that he would be on the run, and soon. </p><p>You sighed. You knew you should probably just wait, but your fingers itched for some action. After you had finally been with people again, you felt the need to be around them some more. There was no way you could sit there while a potential threat got away. No. You would catch him. Or at least stall him until backup came. You nodded your head, you would leave a message to be delivered to Theron in half an hour, that way if you were caught yourself, he could come and rescue you, and if you got Darmas instead, you would have backup. </p><p>With everything set, you grabbed a small blaster and set it in its holster. Your hand trembled slightly as you closed the door to the apartment. This was a bad idea. You kept saying that to yourself even as you walked into the Dealer’s Den, heading straight to the criminal’s hideout. </p><p>Darmas wasn’t on his couch, he wasn’t in the room as far as you could tell. You hid behind a pillar, your eyes scanning the walls with infrared. Still no sign of him. Your message should have been sent by now, so Theron should be there soon, at least, you hoped he would. You took in a deep breath, you had to find him before the agent got there, there was no way you would let him take this victory away from you.</p><p>Out of nowhere, your thoughts were interrupted as a voice penetrated the silence, startling you, “Here’s some advice, my dear,” Darmas, you thought in contempt, you turned around, ready to draw out your blaster, only to see that there was one pointed directly at your head. “Keep your thoughts clear when doing infiltration.”</p><p>You noted the change in his tone, he had an accent, an Imperial accent. “So you are an Imp.” You stated matter of factly.</p><p>The blond smirked, “I knew there was something off about you,” He leaned in, the blaster now digging into your stomach. “Your implants are very subtle, not something normally seen with Republic agents.”</p><p>Now it was your time to smirk. “Guess you don’t know everything about me, then.”</p><p>“Ah… I didn’t know SIS got help from civilians,” His breath brushed against your face, causing you to cringe. Darmas slowly backed you against the wall behind you, you felt like you were going to throw up as his hand gently caressed your cheek. He noted your reaction and a light chuckle left him. “Especially one so young.”</p><p>You hid your confident smile as your implants picked up movement coming from the cantina. Theron was here. You may not have captured the double-agent, but you did manage to stall him long enough so someone else could. Though, you never thought of the consequences.</p><p>Darmas heard the footsteps a little too late, he turned only to have five blasters pointed in front of him, and another behind him, yours. Theron had a hard glare trained at the Imp, the other agents shared his hate, but not to the extent of your companion. “Darmas Pollaran, you are under arrest for breaking the Treaty of Coruscant and for being an Imperial Agent on Republic territory.” </p><p>You noticed the slight movement of the gambler’s trigger finger, you brought your blaster to the back of his head, successfully knocking him out before he could shoot. You stood above him, breathing heavy from the adrenaline. Theron motioned for the other agents to gather the now limp body of Darmas Pollaran and had them bring him out of the cantina, probably to a SIS prison.</p><p>You smiled weakly at the agent, finally realizing the error of your ways. He said nothing, but the dark expression that adorned his countenance spoke for itself. You bit your lip, apparently your companion did not like you running off being a hero. Though before you could say anything, the agent gripped your arm and practically dragged you out of the room, only letting you go once you left the cantina, and even then he kept on walking, his strides long and fast making it hard to keep up. You jogged after him, rubbing your abused arm. By the look that stayed on his face, you knew not to speak until he calmed down. You might have not been around people for a long time, but that didn’t mean you forgot certain social cues. </p><p>It was an awkward journey through the bustling speeder lanes of Coruscant. Neither of you talked, neither knew what to say. You still wished that he would say something to break the heavy tension that rested between you. You bowed your head. This was not how you expected this to go. You thought you would catch the bad guy and prove to Theron that you weren’t some kid in need of protection, but obviously he didn’t see it that way.</p><p>You made it to the apartment and followed Theron into the living room where he practically ordered you to sit. You folded your hands in your lap, your eyes not meeting the man pacing in front of you. You could feel the frustration and disappointment radiate off of the agent. You felt like a child who didn’t listen to their parents and was about to get scolded. But you weren’t a child. You were a grown adult and--</p><p>“What were you thinking?” His voice was quieter than you thought it would be, causing you to look up at him. Your eyes widened, the dark expression from before was gone, replaced by one filled with… worry? “You could have been killed, kid. Why--” He cut himself off, not being able to find the right words. He sat down across from you and pinched the bridge of his nose before making eye contact with you. You could see the pain he felt, and your heart ached. “Look, you did good, finding him and all… but you should have waited, you should have called me earlier. I get it, I said we would work together and then I just left, but you have to understand that you are still technically a criminal.” Your shoulders sagged. “Just, wait a bit. I’m working on getting you some forms so you can actually be a citizen, but it’ll take a while. Just… trust me, okay? I want you to be your own person, really, I do…” </p><p>The hurt in his voice was enough for you to realize your mistake. “I get it…” You stood up and headed to your new room, you had to sleep on this. But before you opened the door, you turned, your eyes glossing over, “Thanks for saving me, Theron.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hey... sorry for the long wait. I got major writer's block even though this is the third chapter... sorry bout that, but! I think I know where this is going? We'll see. </p><p>Thank you for reading, lovelies! Comments and kudos are more than welcome!</p><p>(ps. if you like a certain Grand Admiral Thrawn, I have made a series called "Adventures with a Chiss" that you can check out.)</p>
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